October 22, 2021

STREAMING IS BELIEVING - THE BRAND NEW ROKSAN ATTESSA STREAMING AMP

October 22, 2021/ Brighton

Here at Audio T, we are excited to announce we have taken delivery of the latest products from the Roksan Attessa range, including a turntable, CD transport, integrated amplifier as well as a separate streaming amplifier full of bells and whistles.

For this blog, we shall be focussing our attention on a product I’m particularly excited by, the Attessa streaming amplifier. So, without further ado…

First off, a little history lesson…

Roksan was formed in 1985 by Tufan Hashemi & Touraj Moghaddam. The name “Roksan” itself is derived from the name Roxana, daughter of the Persian King Darius. This closely reflects the Persian heritage and roots of both Hashemi and Moghaddam. Unsurprisingly, many of their product names have references to cities, places and famous people of Persia.

The name Attessa is a modified version of the Ancient Greek word, “Atossa”, which for fairly understandable reasons, could be misconstrued in English. Literally, this name means “bestowing very richly”. This is certainly very apt, as we will discuss shortly…

To quote from the Roksan website;

“Designed to combine all the wonderfully complex sound of a class-leading Hi-Fi system with the simplicity most listeners crave - making it easier to connect with devices, and with the people around you.
A home audio product which is not intimidating for the first time Hi-Fi consumer.”

We couldn’t agree more.

Bells and whistles

Roksan attessa streaming amplifier connectivity

Features include:

The one-touch dial control user-interface is both simple and intuitive to use. A simple push and turn selects different input options.
There are a wide variety of digital and analogue connections, including Bluetooth® and AirPlay 2
The Attessa has a built-in Moving Magnet phono stage, which allows turntable connection to accommodate the resurgence in vinyl playback.
SPDIF inputs will decode MQA encoded PCM streams including MQA CDs played back by the Attessa CD Transport
The MaestroUnite app allows setup for over the air updates. More on this below.

The business end…

around the back of the attessa streaming amplifier

Taking a look around the back of the Attessa provides plenty of scope for connectivity, with plenty of optical, SPDIF and analogue phono inputs to satisfy the inclusion of the rest of the Attessa range, or if you wish, to mix and match with an existing system.

Set-up and use

This is the first time we at Audio T Brighton have had the opportunity to have a hands-on play with one of the new Roksan Attessa family of components. At a quick glance, it is clear that this range of products are designed with quality, convenience and style in mind.

First impressions are very good, with a weighty and quality feel when it is taken out of the box. The large volume knob has a lovely, smooth motion to it and exudes a feeling of confidence in construction quality.

Set-up was nice and easy using the dedicated MaestroUnite app, which is free to download on Android, iOS, Windows and Mac.

Input selection is easy, with a mere push and turn of the front control knob to select the plethora of inputs available.

Roksan have made a very wise choice in utilising one of the better, tried and tested apps already available on the market (the BluOS™ app) rather than trying to create their own. This Attessa Streaming amplifier works seamlessly with the Bluesound option. Quite frankly, if I owned this unit, I would probably leave it set this way most of the time due to the ease of access to music through either streaming services and/or music stored on a server/drive on your network.

The Attessa proved equally adept using the turntable and CD inputs when tested in store with our Rega RP3 with a Audio Technica AT95ML cartridge and a Rega Apollo CD player.

We’ve been big fans of the Bluesound range of products here at Audio T Brighton. Roksan’s use of the BluOS™ app is an exciting move as it allows for streaming connectivity between Roksan, Bluesound and any other manufacturers who utilise the BluOS™ app.

So what does it sound like?

After unpacking the Attessa, we left it running on repeat over the weekend to give the electronics a good warm-up and run in.

First impressions; listening to Kruder and Dorfmeister’s - DJ Kicks, the unit produced a nicely neutral and well controlled sound with plenty of sparkle at the top end and fluid bass. The detail through the, all important, midrange was on-point as well.

Listening to some 50’s and 60’s jazz, the Roksan Attessa continued to give a good impression of itself, with good tonality, soundstage and sufficient warmth to allow the analogue recordings of the day to create the live feel that they so often have.

Listening to Billy Gibbons F Gibbons’ new album “Hardware”, using MQA playback on Tidal’s Masters gave the expected boost in sound quality and should prove a real “feather in the cap” for those who use Tidal as their streaming service.

Let’s sum things up…

The Roksan Attessa is certainly a great all-rounder, especially considering its moderate price point. It gets a huge two-thumbs-up from myself, Paul and John. It will serve any Hi-Fi enthusiast very well as a multi-sourced system. To add to all of this, it has a sleek look without the possible clutter of multiple boxes and the potential spaghetti around the back of your system.

It would be hard to find another product in the current marketplace at this price point that sounds this good, offers this degree of flexibility and user friendliness, so it gets a hearty recommendation. But why take our word for it? Why not contact us to book a demonstration at your local store today.

Many thanks for reading - Ade, Paul & John - Audio T Brighton

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Roksan can be found at the following Audio-T stores

If you can’t see your local Audio T on the list, be sure to contact them for a demonstration.

October 05, 2021

IT'S OFFICIAL - MCINTOSH JOINS SONUS FABER AT SWINDON

October 05, 2021/ Swindon

Back in June we wrote a Blog in which we took a look at Sonus Faber, an Italian manufacturer of high quality loudspeakers that were a new addition to some Audio T stores. During a visit from the he UK distributors, Fine Sounds, we were also shown another brand of theirs, McIntosh Laboratory, an American manufacturer of some of the best looking amplifiers on the market. Now, several months on, we are very excited and happy to announce that both brands are now available here at Audio-T Swindon.

McIntosh Power - Let’s take a look

From a selection of five integrated solid state (or transistor) amplifiers we have decided to start with two, the MA5300 and MA7200. These amplifiers have such an iconic look that you can tell from a distance that they are McIntosh amps. Switch them on and you are greeted by two great looking blue VU meters.

MA5300

Physically, the MA5300 is the smallest amplifier of the range but looking at the output of an impressive 100 watts per channel into 8Ohms and 160 watts per channel in to 4 Ohms - This is only the beginning of our exciting journey into the McIntosh sound.

You get a lot of amp for your money that’s for sure. On the analogue side you get 4 phono inputs, one set of balanced XLR’s, pre-amp output, power-amp input and a moving magnet phono. The high drive headphone amplifier makes sure that you get the most from your headphones. Bass and treble control are also on board should you prefer to change the sound to your liking.

A very nice feature of this amplifier is the AV Passthrough. When the MA5300 is part of a Home Theatre system, the right and left front channels can ‘pass through’ from an AV processor or AV amplifier to the assigned input on the MA5300. In this configuration the MA5300 works as a power amplifier with a fixed volume output - Very nice.

The Digital Audio Module 1 (DA1) comes fitted and offers all digital inputs needed for a modern hi-fi set-up. An optional upgrade (including one HDMI ARC socket) to the Digital Audio Module 2 is available.

MA7200

Let’s take a look at the MA7200. What do we get? Everything we said about the MA5300 and more. Compared to the MA5300, the MA7200 is only about 4cm higher than the MA5300 but weighs a hefty 17 kg more, a total of 42kg. Blimey! This amp is a beast.

The amplifier delivers an output of 200 watts per channel regardless of your speakers impedance and this is because of McIntosh’s Autoformer technology.

AUTOFORMER™ TECHNOLOGY - DOES IT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE?

The McIntosh Output Autoformer™ is a special transformer that is designed and manufactured in-house by McIntosh. This allows any speaker type to be used with a McIntosh amplifier and have all of the power that the amp is designed to deliver. McIntosh claim that other amplifier designs will not have even power with differing speaker designs. McIntosh amplifiers with the output Autoformer™ will deliver ‘All the Power You Pay For’ regardless of chosen speaker type.

On the back you will see two banks of four speaker binding posts, the bottom post is for each of the negative cables and the positive cable connects to one of the positive posts above, marked 2, 4 and 8 Ohms.

There are eight analogue inputs including a Moving Coil and a Moving Magnet phono stage as well as six digital inputs.

SONUS FABER CLARITY

As well as taking delivery of McIntosh amplifiers, we have also received some more Sonus Faber loudspeakers, the Sonetto 1 and Sonetto 3. The colour choices are wood, white, black and wenge. The Sonetto range comprises of two pairs of bookshelf speakers, three pairs of floorstanding speakers, two centre speakers and a pair of on-wall speakers.

Sonetto 1

The Sonetto 1 is a two-way bookshelf loudspeaker and the smallest of the Sonetto range. They are front ported at the base of the speaker, which allows closer placement to the rear wall. The hand-sewn leather top is as a very nice feature of the speaker.

Sonetto 3

The Sonetto 3, a three-way floorstanding design, are the first of three pairs of floorstanders in the Sonetto range. The reflex port is on the underside of the speaker, making it easier for room placement. Non parallel cabinet surfaces ensure perfect control over internal resonances.

Sound Quality

For the purpose of the demonstration we used the Sonetto 1 connected to the MA5300, as a source we use an Innuos Zen Mini MK3 music server with Qobuz music streaming integration. Our demo room measures approximately 6 x 4 metres (speakers set up just a little more than a foot away from the wall) and we started with Jack Johnson, In Between Dreams. The bass is tight and very controlled at higher volume levels, the imaging on Jack’s voice is brilliant with just a little toe in, and the guitar sound crisp and clear. Next on the list is UB40, Kingston Town. A fantastic track with lots of rhythm and deep bass and the Sonetto 1 filled the room effortlessly. They may be the smallest speaker of the Sonetto range but don’t be fooled - they sound big.

We had the MA7200 powering the Sonetto 3 in the same room with the same source, roughly the same distance away from the rear wall. Instantly, we could hear a much bigger presentation of instruments and that the vocals sound more focused. You feel when a system sounds great and you want to play more music - It’s that great.

McIntosh and Sonus Faber are fantastic brands and we are truly happy that both are now available to our customers .

Many thanks for reading - Stefan & Andy - Audio T Swindon

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

For the time being, McIntosh products can be found at -

Swindon

Sonus Faber can be found at -

Bristol

Cardiff

Swindon

If these products aren’t stocked at your local branch, be sure to contact us.

September 29, 2021

VINYL TLC - GETTING THE BEST FROM YOUR RECORD COLLECTION

September 29, 2021/ Reading

In the past 18 months, it would appear that many people picked up a plethora of weird and wonderful hobbies as a result of the lockdown. We’ve seen everything from baking & breadmaking, tie-dye, DIY home improvements or even those experimenting with arts and crafts.

Now, not all of us are into such messy or exhausting affairs. Some of us like to sit back and enjoy an album to its fullest. Perhaps you’re one of those that added to the surge in vinyl sales and have recently developed a vinyl addiction? Or maybe you rediscovered your old vinyl in the loft, where it has resided for the last 20 years? Maybe you’ve inherited a vinyl collection from a relative that’s had a clearout? Or, perhaps you’re already the owner of a large and cherished record collection? Whichever applies to you, the likelihood is that you’re not aware of the benefits of maintaining your beloved discs of plastic. Hey, you might not even know what’s available?! But never fear, we’ve got you covered…

The Project VC-E ALU, with cleaning brush and vacuum arm, cleaning mixture, carbon fibre brushes and some treasured VINYL!

Here at Audio T Reading we offer a number of solutions for playing your vinyl, from your very first entry-level turntable to the highest of high end audio solutions. Your records contain many treasured moments & memories, and when kept in good condition they give a satisfying sonic experience up there with other HD formats.

But the real question that isn’t asked all too often is how can I revive my vinyl and/or keep them in tip-top condition? I’ll be attempting to provide some practical, everyday ways of doing that. Obviously, it goes without saying that your records can’t necessarily be brought back to life if they are scratched or cracked, but the dirty and dusty ones can be easily revived with a bit of TLC.

Keeping your records clean will mean that the noise and crackles on the vinyl will be a lot quieter, if not silent. You’ll also be better able to access the detail and dynamics locked inside the grooves.

So, what causes record “wear”?

Well it can be from a number of causes. It’s best to cover all your bases.

Firstly, the stylus on your record player can become coated in debris (dust and various artefacts) picked up from unclean records as well as dust in atmosphere. This is why many people keep a style cover over their cartridge. This debris can build up around the stylus and cause mistracking (the inability of the cartridge to travel through complex grooves without distortion).

Another issue to watch out for is a worn out stylus. Sadly these things don’t last forever. In fact, many manufacturers suggest that most styli last around 1000 hours and should be changed every few years. It’s important to make sure you keep on top of this as it can again can lead to mistracking, not to mention it can cause damage to the records themselves.

Did you know that we service turntables and fit new styli and cartridges? Contact your local store to find out more.

You can keep your styli healthy by maintaining the correct playing weight and anti-skate bias. If you ever need advice on this, be sure to contact us.

The biggest perpetrator for cleanliness are the records themselves. Because of the polyvinyl chloride that they are made from, they are prone to becoming statically charged, meaning they attract dust and dirt to the surface. If left on, this grime can ingrain itself into the vinyl groove and again cause serious noise and mistracking, not to mention it stops the needle from doing its job and getting deep inside the grooves for all that high-fidelity goodness.

It’s a little known fact that brand new vinyl can be left with production residue on the surface. So we’d recommend even cleaning your new record purchases. So this isn’t just for old or second hand records.

What are the solutions?

The basic aim is to keep both your stylus and records as clean as possible. The practical every day approach is to use the following:

A carbon fibre stylus brush – used occasionally and carefully to keep the debris off the stylus
A carbon fibre record brush – to sweep across the record before playing it. It also reduces the static attraction

For cleaning your record collection for the first time, or occasionally thereafter, we would recommend either manual or powered record cleaning for deeper cleaning. Some of our favourite examples are -

The Project Spin Clean Record Cleaner Mk2, which is a highly effective manual cleaner, complete with cleaning kit. All you have to do is source some distilled water (readily available online)
The Project VC-S2 and VC-E-Alu are mains powered record cleaners, which thoroughly wet clean the record via a supplied brush, and then vacuum the liquid and remaining debris from the vinyl groove (the machine has a built in vacuum motor). The VC range comes complete with vinyl cleaning solution to mix with some distilled water. The VC-E is functionally smaller than the VC-S2 and will fit into an IKEA Kallax along with your records
Last, but not least, for those with deeper pockets, the Audio Desk Pro Vinyl Cleaner, which uses a wet bath enhanced by ultrasonics to loosen dirt in the groves and a drying mode which ensures that the vinyl is ready to play within 5-6 minutes.

Project VC-E ALU & kit and carbon fibre stylus and record brush.

Conclusion

If you you use either the mains powered or manual cleaners, your records will not need to be treated again for some time, other than with a carbon fibre brush.

The advantage of the mains cleaners is that they are much more effective at lifting out the grime and detritus from the groove, whereas the manual cleaners rely on soaking and air-drying. If you have a large record collection, we strongly recommend the mains powered cleaners, They make quick and efficient work of the whole process.

In addition to keeping your records in tip-top condition, as an additional bonus, all the above cleaning products will greatly aid to prolonging to the life of your stylus.

All those treasured moments, memories and sonic highlights can be preserved. After all, everything deserves a bit of TLC occasionally!

Rob & Gareth – Audio T Reading

Be sure to keep an eye out on what’s happening at the Reading store by following us on Facebook.

Project can be found at the following Audio-T stores

September 21, 2021

LIFE OF A ROOKIE… JOINING THE TEAM AT AUDIO T BRIGHTON

September 21, 2021/ Brighton

“Please allow me to introduce myself”… No, I'm not Mick Jagger, but new Audio T employee, Ade Pollard, his better looking twin. I’m a man of few words, taking the opportunity to give you some insight into the life of a new employee (that's me, not MJ, of course). So, come with me now on the first instalment of my '“Life of a Rookie” blog series…

In a former life …

After obtaining a degree in Mathematics from Leicester University, I spent some time working in retail at Boots the Chemists, before deciding to do a PGCE and become a maths teacher. I spent two years in a school in Northampton before moving down south to sunny Brighton, where I spent 30 years teaching at Blatchington Mill School and VI form, in Hove.

That was enough for me and I decided to “retire” from teaching, seeking to pursue other interests in the world of music and Hi-Fi. I have always had a keen interest in this area, so when the opportunity to work at Audio T came up, I jumped at the chance. Luckily for me, Audio T welcomed me into their family and so here I am. Fortunately, John and Paul are big kids, so it hasn’t been such a culture shock and I haven’t needed to get the cane out ….. yet!

Time for the Teacher to become the Student…

So, my new life here at Audio T began on Tuesday 7th September, where I was given the keys to the castle and spent some time getting to know the two gents at the Brighton store.

For those of you familiar with the Brighton branch, you’ll know that John and Paul are lovely chaps. It seems to have taken very little time to feel like I've known them for a long time. Being of a similar age certainly helped!

It's been a long time since I last worked in the customer service industry, and even then that was in Boots the Chemist. There are systems a plenty to get to grips with and products and spare parts you would have never known existed.

Boys and their toys…

Part of the joy in joining a company like Audio T is all the fun gadgets we get to play with. Now, a turntable I have always coveted, but never owned, has been the Linn LP12. Watching John and Paul take these apart to service is a sight to behold. It clearly demonstrates the mastery in engineering required to construct and assemble every component to create the top quality sound from vinyl that Linn have been able to make over the years.

During my first week, I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing John's 30 plus years of expertise in servicing several different marques of these magnificent machines. The care and attention to detail he shows whilst stripping, replacing, rebuilding and re-aligning these beauties is a privilege to watch. You can read about the detailed process in our previous blog Here. I hope to be able to emulate his skills once I’ve visited the Linn Factory in Glasgow to be trained by the finest engineers.

Audio T RP3 — Rega Planar 3 in a Sporty Red finish

In contrast to the LP12, I have also witnessed Paul's skill in servicing the Rega Planar 3. In engineering terms this is a much simpler turntable, but quality often comes in many different forms.

I was privy to some interesting techniques including a very a rather unique way of removing the bearing (a trade secret of course). This is all useful knowledge for me personally because I can practise these techniques on my old 1980's RP3 deck and get that back into action.

Beyond the gear…

It has been a pleasure to chat with the many new and old customers that have come into the shop and it has tested my knowledge of the various combinations of Hi-Fi available. But I'm pleased to say I’m happy with my recall but there is much to learn.

So, stay tuned and find out how I get on with my journey in the wonderful world of Hi-Fi and Home Cinema.

To be continued . . .

Thanks for reading - Ade - Audio T Brighton

Keep up to date with everything that’s happening at Audio T Brighton by following us on Facebook and Instagram

Linn can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Rega can be found at the following Audio-T stores

September 15, 2021

RECREATING THE CINEMA EXPERIENCE AT HOME WITH REL 3D

September 15, 2021/ Swindon

Everytime I watched a movie at my favourite local cinema, I left with a smile, always so impressed by the quality of the sound. Original movie soundtracks are mixed for big venues, with lots of big speakers. The question is - Is it possible to add more depth and detail to our own home cinema systems without changing the front, left and rear speakers? The short answer to this is - Yes, add THREE REL Acoustics subwoofers and experience what is called - REL 3D

How does it work?

REL 3D refers to a set-up that each of the three groups of speakers in a traditional 5.1 home cinema system (front left/right, centre and surround channels) are underpinned by a REL subwoofer to improve depth and body to create a better, tighter and bigger sounding bass. Check out the picture below for a better representation of what I’m talking about.

The plan, the room and the set-up

To put this method to the test, we thought we’d go ahead and put a system together in our store demo room. And as the saying says, “Go big or go home”, we decided to “Go big” set up a 9.2.4 Dolby Atmos home cinema sound system with REL 3D.

We used a combination of Bowers & Wilkins 600 Anniversary front speakers, centre and surround channels , three REL Acoustics Tx Series subwoofers, four KEF in-ceiling speakers, a Denon home cinema amplifier and a Panasonic 4K Blu-Ray player.

Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins 607 Anniversary (rear speakers),
Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary (front speakers),
Bowers & Wilkins HTM6 S2 Anniversary (centre speaker).
KEF Ci160.2CR x 4 (Atmos in-ceiling speakers)

Subwoofers

REL T9x (front right corner - high level front left & right speakers and LFE)
REL T7x (rear left corner- high level rear speakers and LFE)
REL T5x (high level centre speaker)

AV Receiver

Denon AVC-X4700H - 9.2 channel amplifier that supports Dolby Atmos and DTS-X

Blu-Ray player

Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-Ray Player

REL Acoustics Tx Series Subwoofers

From left to right we have the REL T5x, T7x and T9x - Ready to go into our home cinema system -

The hard work

I’m sure that many of us who have set-up a home cinema system before agree that the hardest part of it is getting down on your knees, crawling into narrow spaces, connecting all the components together and then trying to fit them all into cupboards, but it’s a great feeling once you’re finished and you know you’ve done a good job.

To start with, we positioned our left and right speakers, a pair of B&W 606 S2 Anniversary. We set them up like you would a conventional two channel system, striving for the best possible stereo imaging.

The REL high level is supplied with every one of their subwoofer

This done, we connected the main front subwoofer, a REL T9x using the supplied high-level cable to the front left/right speaker terminals of the Denon amplifier and set it up.

Why is this important?

With the use of the high level cable, the REL subwoofer is now like an extension of the two front speakers, working as one with them. It gets exactly the same information as the two front speakers and adds depth and clarity, allowing your speakers to sound bigger in the sound stage and infinitely better in their performance. The cable connects to the .1 channel (called LFE -Low frequency effects) on the back of the subwoofer and that is your front-end done.

Next we positioned the second subwoofer, the REL T7x, in the left rear corner and connected the high level cable to the rear speaker terminals on the Denon amplifier in the same way as the first sub. On top of the included high level cable, we added a second dedicated phono to phono sub cable to the LFE (Low Frequency Effect) channel. This dedicated input allows the AV receiver to send discrete content to the subwoofer from a Dolby or DTS encoded audio track.

The B&W HTM6 centre speaker sounds great on its own, but with the added support of a REL T5x, it grows into a bigger and deeper sounding speaker.

When fine tuning the system I love to use the opening sequence of the 2009 animated film, “9”. Produced by Tim Burton, this movie has a dark and ominous presence which puts the subwoofers through their paces.

The reward - It’s movie time!

To kick things off, we decided to start with the action packed, 2021 monster mash, Godzilla vs. Kong. There are so many great scenes to choose from, but you have a listen to Kong’s monster growl through the HTM6/REL T5x combination and you’ll know what we mean. Moving on to the moment when Godzilla and Kong fight under and above water, you can feel the weight of those two gargantuan beasts. The REL T9x & T7x are hard working speakers and never lose control of the dedicated LFE frequencies. This set-up is guaranteed to put a smile on the faces of most customers.

The next tester was the 2011 drama, War Horse, directed by Steven Spielberg. We could barely contain ourselves; we jumped straight to the iconic scene where the massive cannons are tirelessly pulled uphill by two rows of exhausted horses and put into position to fire. And then… this is hard to put into words… cannon fire with a satisfying bass so tight and loud it is a feast to the ears. A true reflection of the cinema experience this film was made for.

The conclusion

Now we’re not suggesting that everyone should go out and put three subwoofers into their room, we know not everyone will have the space. BUT, it’s a method worth considering when looking to improve the overall sound of your home cinema setup. Why not start with one main subwoofer and add more with time. You won’t be disappointed.

If you’d like to find out more about REL subwoofers or the 3D technique, feel free to contact us.

Thanks for reading.

Andy & Stefan - Audio T Swindon

REL can be found at the following Audio-T stores -

B&W can be found at the following Audio T stores -

September 15, 2021

THE LATEST FROM BLUESOUND - THE NODE 3

September 15, 2021/ Oxford

The Bluesound Node, a staple of any good Hi-Fi shop and show floor, has recently had an upgrade. With the little streamer being of respectfully high quality already we were curious to see whether the promise of a new DAC and processor really made enough difference to justify the latest iteration of an award winning streamer.

The Specification

Upgrading from the 1GHz ARM CORTEX A9 processor to the new Quad-core 1.8GHz ARM CORTEX A53 processor, Bluesound promised a smoother experience while streaming, allowing the overall experience to be uninterrupted, even when listening to the highest quality audio. Speaking of high quality audio, the DAC has gone from 32-bit - 192kHz to 32-bit - 384kHz, to allow for fully unfolded MQA audio (Master Quality Authenticated). Another feature of the new Node is the inclusion of an eArc slot, allowing for easy connection to a TV, something we feel is is always a welcome addition.

A touch screen panel has replaced the five button interface on the top, which allows for quick access to 5 preset options that can be linked to things like radio stations or playlists, a volume slider, a play/pause button and a network connection indicator light. A small quality of life change that I highly appreciate is how the ethernet port does not flash when a cable is plugged into it, as it did on the Node 2i, so there is no longer an annoying orange light flickering away in the background to distract me.

But the big question is…

Does it sound better? In short, yes! My personal setup is not ideal. Like many homes, the room is small and square, but it is easy to tell when something in the sound changes, as my distance from the speakers can only be described as intimate. Hooked up to a Yamaha amplifier I inherited a number of years ago, and a pair of Dynaudio Evoke 10’s, I listened to songs I knew well and knew how they sounded in my room, Petals by Tops, Cool for a Second by Yumi Zouma and Les yeux ouverts by Enzo Enzo to name but a few.

When playing Petals on the old Node 2i, the bass guitar ran the risk of becoming almost too overpowering if the volume was cranked up to an enjoyably loud level. However, I didn’t experience this issue with this new and improved Node 3. The jazzy, finger style bass becomes more controlled and instantly fits in with the rest of the mix as a whole, rather than a competitive solo instrument.

Whenever I’m in the mood and feel like transporting myself to some French jazz bar, I like to put on a bit of Enzo Enzo. The new Node 3 helped me do that perfectly. The sound stage and positioning I found during her rendition of Les yeux Ouverts makes the performance feel incredibly natural, as if you’re right in front of the stage. This is in no small part to the exceptional production of this track. To be fair, the listening experience with this track wasn’t too dissimilar on my old Node 2i, but I did find that songs that aren’t MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) are enhanced to new levels by the Node 3’s new and improved engineering.

Yumi Zouma’s, Cool for a Second, was able to fully showcase its chilled-out, clean, dream pop production without any restrictions thanks to the Node 3’s MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) unfolding technology. The New Zealand, alternative Pop quartet are a fantastic band to listen to when determining the clarity of a system due to their beautiful compositions of subtle synths and real instrumentation. Definitely one to check out.

BluOS Controller App

The BluOS controller interface is one of the easier applications to use from the plethora of options available in the industry. It is considered to be so sturdy that other manufacturers have taken to use it with their own products, such as as the brand new Roksan Attessa. This means you can actually use devices from different manufacturers in one complete multi-room system. Very clever!

As with many other apps, it gives you access to any drives of saved music libraries you may have, as well as a good selection of streaming services such as Qobuz and Tidal, meaning you’ll never be short on choice for what you can listen to.

In Conclusion

At its price point, the Node 2i was considered to be one of the best streamers you could buy. I think it’s safe to say that the Node 3 will continue that trend by doing everything that the Node 2i did so well, but better, and with several improvements on top of that. If you take all of this in to consideration, it really is a justified upgrade.

Please feel free to Contact Us to schedule a demonstration either in store or at home.

Andrew, Jon and Luke - Audio T Oxford

Be sure to keep up with all that is going on at Audio T Oxford by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Bluesound can be found at the following Audio-T stores

September 01, 2021

DALI MENUET. A SPECIAL EDITION STUNNER!

September 01, 2021/ Cheltenham

Once in a while a rather special little product will come our way. The day that we were introduced to these brand new little wonders was just such an occasion. In a hotly contested area of the market already well populated with numerous offerings from the likes of Dynaudio, B&W, Monitor Audio, the ever popular KEFs and our personal favourites, Acoustic Energy, comes a brand new star in the guise of the Dali Menuet Special Edition. Make note of that “Special Edition” bit as there is a slightly cheaper standard version of the Menuet too but here we are concentrating on the rather special Special Editions!

The DALI MENUET SE in their new eye-catching finish, Wild Walnut veneer. Made from a variety of natural woods. Every pair is carefully matched and will be unique in appearance. No two pairs will look the same.

Perched on top of the Solid Steel speaker stands looking great and sounding even better !

The intention of this piece is not to list boring specifications and measurements, but instead to talk about the musical response. After all, isn’t that why we’re in this game?

What I’ll say is that we’ve got some extraordinary sounds out of these little beauties. We used them on the end of an all Rega system using the Apollo CD player and the Brio amplifier with a Rega couple interconnect and Chord Company Rumour X loudspeaker cable perched on top of a pair of Solid Steel SS6B loudspeaker stands. The sound of this set up… Wow!

Placement

Dali suggest that the Menuets are used pointing straight out into the listening room with no toe-in. Whilst this seemed like an alien concept to me, I thought I’d tried them the Dali way followed by varying degrees of toe-in. I have to say that Dali are indeed correct! When used with no toe-in the stereo image is just astounding. Yes there may be speakers in this price bracket that can create deeper bass, but in my humble opinion, none of them can throw a stereo image this far out of the box and I’ll take that over bass any day! I’m by no means saying that the Dali Menuets SE are light on the bass either because they are no slouches in that department, believe me.

I just want to take a moment to appreciate how gorgeous these speakers are in their Wild Walnut lacquered wood finish. This is the only finish these speakers come in, and they are beautiful!

Listening

Bass driver uses wood fibre reinforcement for ultimate low distortion reproduction.

As per the pictures, I started off my listening session with a little bit of Blue Note Jazz (thanks Harry). These recordings date from the early 1960’s, but played on the Dali’s they sound vibrant and incisive and most important of all, fun! The Menuets sounded particularly lovely with the track Spring by a band called The Innocence Mission, from the album the album called My Room In The Trees.. A song with a vocal that is to die for and is achingly beautiful and just sheer poetry… Try it for yourself and see what I mean.

Cover of the wonderful album by The Innocence Mission that goes by the title of My Room In The Trees….Try it!

The diminutive Dali’s created a wide soundstage and I was able to hear every little detail that was going on in the music. When I closed my eyes the speakers totally disappeared and the music was just hanging in the air in front of me. A truly amazing response for a speaker at this price. If stereo imaging is your thing, you really need to add these to your audition list !

I Thought this album was sort of appropriate!

Burnin’ Red Ivanhoe…how can a band that looks like this not be good?

To pay tribute to Dali’s Danish heritage, I thought I would treat them to a little bit of Prog Rock from the motherland in the shape of the totally ace album, W.W.W. from the band Burnin’ Red Ivanhoe. I really only intended to play the opening track, Second Floor Croydon, but it sounded so good that I had to play the whole album. First released in 1971 and featuring on John Peel’s, Dandelion Records, gives you a bit of a heads up as to the freaky proggy/avant-garde sounds that awaits. It is a rather well recorded album too, which always helps.

Features

Connection for speaker cable is via a pair of rather nice sturdy gold-plated terminals. Originating from the high-end EPICON series. Refined over the years, they ensure that the DALI MENUET SE always has the best possible connection regardless of speaker cable choice.

I think that the secret weapon of the Menuet is the oversized 28mm soft dome tweeter which is able to start and stop with great speed and precision due to the very low mass of the dome assembly as well as a very powerful motor system. This dome is approximately 30% lighter than comparable standard domes and the magnet in the motor system is made of the strongest neodymium material available. Never once did they sound shouty or over bright. It is also possible to position them very close to room boundaries by virtue of a rear mounted bass ports that fires down at a 45 degree angle to minimise reflections from the wall behind… Genius or what?

Conclusion

Anyway…. It’s safe to say that here at Audio T Cheltenham, we love these little Danish beauties and we’re pretty confident that you will too, especially if you’re tight for space these little Dali Menuet SE’s could be just the thing you need! Demonstrations can be arranged in store and are thoroughly recommended.

Thanks for reading.

Andy, Jon and Farid - Audio T Cheltenham Store.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store

Dali can be found at the following Audio-T stores

September 01, 2021

MONITOR AUDIO GROUP – A FAMILY DAY OUT

September 01, 2021/ Portsmouth

It’s safe to say it’s been a long old time since I’ve been to a hotel to listen to the latest innovations in Hi-Fi - February 2020 at the last Bristol Hi-Fi show to be exact! So, when I received an invite from the Monitor Audio Group to do just that, I jumped at the chance. So, off I headed to leafy Surrey, to the rather prestigious Pennyhill Park Hotel in Bagshot.

For those of you unfamiliar with the newly rebranded, Monitor Audio Group, this comprises of –

Monitor Audio

First founded in 1972 in Taversham, near Cambridge. Iranian engineer, Mo Iqbal, sought to create a world leading brand of Hi-Fi speakers. Fast-forward 40 years and Monitor Audio is regarded by many as one of the leading manufacturers in the industry with an emphasis in innovation for both Hi-Fi and Home Cinema applications.

Roksan

THE XERXES TURNTABLE THAT KICKED THINGS OFF IN 1985

Acquired by the Monitor Audio Group in November 2016, Roksan was first founded in 1985 by graduates of the University of London, Imperial College London and Queen Mary College, Tufan Hashemi and Touraj Moghaddam. Forged in the fires of Moghaddam’s dissatisfaction of the Hi-Fi systems available at the time, the pair formed a formidable British Hi-Fi company, choosing names for the brand and their products that celebrated the mythology of their Persian heritage. The name Roksan itself is derived from the name of Roxana, daughter of the Persian King Darius. Not surprisingly many of Roksan's product names have references to names of cities, places and famous people of Persia. One such product was the Xerxes Turntable which launched the company to success. Soon after, the company poured their expertise into amplification and digital sources.

Blok

And finally, Blok. Acquired in April 2019, Blok is the manufacturer behind the stylish STAX range of Hi-Fi furniture. Whilst they can’t be grain matched, they can in essence be colour matched to the Monitor Audio speaker range. These are set to be with us in the near future, so if you’re interested in the Blok range, contact your local store for more information.

So, after a quick meet and greet, a coffee and a very welcomed bacon bap; we found ourselves in the “Windsor” suite, decked out with selected kit from the Monitor Audio Group. Before we could listen to the goods, we first had to find out what made the seventh generation of the Silver range so special…

MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 7G

Looks aren’t everything…

It’s not the most popular opinion, but Hi-Fi speakers are as much a piece of furniture as the racks that your records & CDs reside in, so it’s important that they look as good as they sound. Before getting in to the technical nitty-gritty of the speakers, let’s take a moment to appreciate the aesthetics at play here –

The Silver Series 7G have adopted a contemporary, crisp edge design. Not only has this allowed for a sharper look, it has also allowed the introduction of two new, real wood veneers: Natural Walnut and Ash*. It’s rare to find real wood veneers on a speaker of this price point, so this is a nice touch. If the real wood veneers aren’t your thing, you also have a choice of Satin White, Gloss Black and Black Oak – A colour for pretty much every listening space.

(*The Silver AMS 7G and FX 7G will only be available in High Gloss Black and Satin White)

To compliment the slick choice of finishes, Monitor Audio have also introduced new driver trim rings that are painted to match the tweeter rim and give a more balanced visual appearance, by reducing visibility of the rubber driver surround.

And finally, a feature of both function and design – The new outrigger foot system. These new feet are made from moulded ABS and feature a spun metal trim, developed for improved stability. They also have a new locking foot designed to work on both carpet and hard floors.

The technical nitty-gritty…

For years, Monitor Audio have brandished their Rigid Surface Technology (RST) woofers as a trademark of their look. These iconic, silver drivers are now in their second incarnation, derived from the Gold 5G’s RDT (Rigid Diaphragm Technology) development. The composite of the ceramic-coated aluminium magnesium (C-Cam) is considered by Monitor Audio to be the best material to improve the tensile strength of the cone, while being light enough to move quickly, giving the speaker the ability to translate the music accurately. Unlike previous versions of the Silver range, which featured the original smooth RST drivers; the RST II is complimented by a hexagonal dimple pattern, which allows it to handle the higher frequencies at an optimal level.

As if improved drivers weren’t enough, Monitor Audio have taken the opportunity to improve the performance of the speakers as a whole and given the crossovers a new lease of life.

Rather than just look at the crossover merely as an electrical component, Monitor Audio approach them as an acoustic requirement that should complement the drivers, even if it means using non-mathematical methods and splitting the frequencies in a non-symmetrical manner, as long as it benefits the tonal balance, phase and musicality of the speaker.

One thing that really came across in the presentation is that Monitor Audio are producing speakers that are really designed to allow the listener to get the most out of their musical experience.

ROKSAN ATTESSA

I’ll be completely honest with you. Roksan is not a brand that I’ve had a lot of experience with, so it was a good opportunity to learn about the brand and the new Attessa range. Something that I instantly liked about the range was how limited it was. Some brands release a product line with numerous iterations and combinations that is almost impossible to navigate, well not this one! The moderately priced Attessa family consists of a turntable, CD transport, integrated amplifier and streaming amplifier. The turntable is available in satin white or satin black, and the other components of the system come in either silver or black… And for possibly the first time in a very long time, I found myself preferring the silver finish over the black!

Both the Attessa’s integrated amplifier and streaming amplifier are not short of inputs. Both feature a dedicated MM Phono stage plus two more line level analogue phono inputs, accompanied by four digital inputs (two coaxial & two Toslink). There isn’t much more you’d want, especially if you’re planning on sticking with the rest of the range. As to be expected, the CD transport features a solitary coaxial digital output.

Now, I just want to talk about the turntable for a second… Some record players feature an optimised hardwired audio cable, others give you phono outputs to pick and choose your own aftermarket cables. The Attessa Turntable does a little of both. Whilst it does have the option for aftermarket cables, Roksan have paired it with a dedicated phono cable which they claim provides the optimum quality of musicality. “So why not just hardwire that cable?” - Well, the turntable features a built in Moving Magnet switchable phono stage (active/passive) that allows you to run to line level outputs or even active speakers. Very cool! There are a whole host of technical features that make this turntable impressive, you can find out more here.

Whilst on the surface, these seem like your run of the mill Hi-Fi boxes, beneath the chassis lurks some rather clever tech. The whole system can be used with with Roksan’s very own application, MaestroUnite. This clever software package will allow you to control your complete Roksan system as a whole, but will also automatically perform any firmware updates or bug fixes that you may have not known about unless checking the site. This is something a lot of manufacturers could benefit from. Not only does this work on smartphones and tablets using Android or iOS, but also on PC and Apple computers.

When it comes to the Attessa Streaming Amplifier, you’ll find the integration of BluOS™ technology. A tried and tested method brought you from the people behind Bluesound. This Premium Multi-Room Audio Technology allows you to not only stream from Roksan to Roksan device, but ANY product that utilises the same software. So for example, if you had a Bluesound Pulse 2i wireless speaker in other rooms of the house, you could stream the same music across the house… Great for parties!

Evidently the list of manufacturers using this application is growing. And what is even more impressive is if you use the turntable input on the streaming amplifier, you can then stream that record around your house with ease.

Right, enough tech jargon for one blog…

The proof is in the listening…

After a quick coffee break, it was time to get to the good stuff. Using the Attessa streaming amplifier as our source with a bespoke Tidal playlist curated by Monitor Audio (scroll to the bottom to find out more), we set through the Silver 7G range of stereo speakers from the 50 right up to the 500.

As you’d expect when ascending through a range of speakers, the musiciality, detail and clarity all improve with each step up. Bass response and sound stage are the most noticeable improvements. That being said, even the performance of the smallest member of the family, the Silver 50 7G, exceeded expectations considering it was working in a location well outside of its intended space.

The real winners of the day for me were the 300 and 500 7G. You can’t beat a big pair of floorstanders. They particularly shone with the track Uprising from Muse. Whatever your take on that band, it’s a great track for testing not only bass response of a speaker, but also how they deal with complex midrange arrangements.

Sadly we weren’t able to listen to the full range of the Silver 7G and missed out on the AV applications, which is a shame as the new AMS 7G and FX 7G look like they’d be an incredible addition to any home cinema system.

As with any Hi-Fi system, beauty is in the ear of the beholder! We strongly advise getting yourself to one of our stores to book a demonstration.

Thanks for reading -

Brad - Audio T

Be sure to follow Audio T on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date with everything going on in our stores.

Monitor Audio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Roksan can be found at the following Audio-T stores -

Demonstration Songs

Streaming Demonstration Playlist

Cara Dillon - False, False
Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
Christine and the Queens - No Harm is Done
Billie Eilish - When I was Older
SHAED - Trampoline
Saycet - La Revolution
Nitin Sawney - Homelands
Cleo Sol - Why Don’t You
Janelle Monáe - Make Me Feel
The XX - Together
Billie Black - Black & White
Beyoncé - Partition
Quincy Jones - Soul Bossa Nova
Sevdaliza - Human
Dominique Fils Aime - Strange Fruit
Dennis Edwards - Don’t Look Any Further
AC/DC - Back in Black
Lenny Kravitz - Are You Gonna Go My Way
Muse - Uprising
The Who - Eminence Front

You can listen to Monitor Audio’s playlist of streamed tracks on Tidal Here.

Vinyl Demonstration Playlist

Madonna - Like a Prayer
Donald Fagen - New Frontier
Yello - New Frontier
Sade - Smooth Operator
Cigarettes After Sex - K

August 28, 2021

MUSIC’S FINEST CONDUCTOR & THE ORCHESTRA - AUDIO NOTE FACTORY TOUR

August 28, 2021/ Swansea

As you may have seen on some of our latest social media posts, or if you have called into the shop recently – we have been giving our old Cinema room a major refurbishment to get it back to its former glory and feature high-end two-channel systems. Of all the brands we stock, Audio Note is top of our list to feature in the new room. So with that in mind we were invited down to the Audio Note factory in Brighton to see how it’s all made.

Seven of us from Audio T arrived in Brighton on the Sunday afternoon to be greeted by Peter Qvortrup, founder and owner of Audio Note, Peter’s son Daniel and Peter’s right hand man, Micky Seaton.

Quickly we were split into two groups and whisked off in seperate directions, so off we went with Micky and Daniel to start our tour –

Stop 1: The infamous Audio Note “shop” where it all started…

The “shop” window - peter is proud the inside has never been cleaned!

We pulled up at a small row of shops at the end of a terraced road with a corner shop and a run down shop front next door, hang on….. there’s an Audio Note sticker on the door? “Here we are!” exclaims Micky, while the rest of us look at each other with dumbfounded faces -

On closer inspection the shop window featured some very old electronics. Some vintage radios along with valves of all shapes and sizes that clearly have not been touched in a very, very long time.

Micky opened the door and it was quite literally a “Narnia” moment! There in front of us was a vast collection of vinyl from floor to ceiling and a stunning system set up in the middle of the room.

Obviously we had to ask the story of what this place was all about. Micky told us of how this was the start of Audio Note with Peter working from the two small rooms. He regaled us with a story of how he had been walking past the shop one day and heard music coming from a slightly open door. Being a bit of an enthusiast himself and on a personal journey to upgrade his existing system, he was coaxed by his wife to knock the door and see what it was that was making the noise. From there, a busy Peter was sat at his desk and didn’t turn his head away from his work, and yelled to a bewildered Micky, “SIT DOWN, HAVE A LISTEN”… From here on in, Micky became a customer of Peter’s and bought into the Audio Note brand. It wasn’t too long after this that Peter had persuaded Micky to come and work for him. The company expanded and moved to its current location. However, Peter still rents the shop to this day, mainly as a more intimate demonstration facility. And the rest as they say is history…

We listened to a wide selection of vinyl and CD through the Meishu integrated amplifier and AN-E signature speakers, and it’s safe to say that it sounded fabulous. Even with Daniel’s avant garde taste in music, we all managed to hear something we like… And some questionable Japanese noisecore. Regardless, We could have quite happily stayed there all evening playing music and chatting, but soon it was time to go over to Peter’s house and join him on the second listening stop to see his system.

On arrival at Peter’s we were instantly made to feel at home, into the front room to be greeted by walls of Vinyl and CDs and “the system” in the bay window. Having a pretty good idea of the Audio Note line up of products I could see that this was pretty much the best of everything, and why wouldn’t you have it all at home if you’re the boss eh! Instantly my eyes were drawn to the Gaku-on power amps, having never seen them in the flesh before I had to have a closer look and as expected they are absolutely stunning.

So….drinks poured from Peter’s stunning collection, it was time to get some music on. The first record Peter played us was Bonnie Raitt – The Lost Broadcast, one of the very first recordings she ever did at a radio station. I know it was to be expected, but breathtaking was an understatement. As with subsequent tracks we heard it was almost hard to get your head around what you were listening to, almost to the point of not being able to explain how “in the room” the artists were – you would have to hear it to believe it.

Peter played us some really “out there” music at bonkers volumes and bass like I have never heard without the addition of a subwoofer. It was incredible what the system was capable of and instantly dispelled any misgivings we may have had about what a valve based system was about. Peter then took great pleasure in pressing stop on the CD player and exclaiming “8 watts!!” and laughing.

After the listening experience we were full of questions which Peter took the time to answer in great detail, it was an opportunity to pick the mind of a legend in the industry which we were not going to miss.

It wasn’t too long before we had to head off to the hotel and then out for dinner. We were whisked off to one of Brighton’s more eclectic establishments, an Indonesian restaurant with some fairly questionstionable karaoke. We had a great time chatting about music, Hi-Fi and Mercedes (Peter has a collection of old Mercedes which I was also quite excited to see).

On to the following morning and off to the main factory. On arrival we met Peter in his office, and to no surprise there were racks and racks of vinyl once again. The fine line between collection and obsession came to mind, but most of these were the AN Music records that are cut by Audio Note themselves and available on their website.

First stop on the tour was over to another building where a vast amounts of components are stored, along with a lot of Mercedes – For myself, kid in a candy shop springs to mind! Micky has his office situated in the upstairs of the building where he has a very nice system playing away while he works. At the centre of this workplace setup was the Cobra amp running his laptop as a streamer through one of it’s digital USB inputs. Hopefully this one of the products we will have for demonstration in the shop quite soon.

Back over to the main factory where we would see the build process from start to finish and also the R&D department affectionately known as the “ideas pit” where we saw the research going in to the Field Coil high frequency drivers that we had heard at Peter’s house the previous evening. Seeing the process and the amount of very expensive raw materials that go into making just one pair of these was giving me some understanding of how the product line up of the AN-E speakers can go from the entry model construction to the top of the range construction using what from the outside looks like the same “thing”. A pair of AN-E alongside another pair may look the same but certainly don’t sound the same. We then moved on to see the transformer and capacitor production. Again, seeing all of the different reels and grades of materials the system level approach all made sense.

Essentially there was the same production process, but the materials used to make the capacitors for example will vary dramatically in price and performance.

Silver wiring was another process I had not fully understood. Whereas with a very basic green plastic circuit board with tracks that we are all familiar with can be used in the base models, the silver wiring means just that – everything is wired with silver wire. Rather than plastic boards, their own ply type board is used and instead of thin solder tracks they use silver wiring to every component as you can see from the image.

Further down the process we could see things starting to take shape, from TT-3 turntables almost complete in their build stage to all sorts of amplifiers in late build stages. Some of the images below show the incredible quality and attention to detail that goes into each product. The Legend amplifier in particular was just stunning, and considering that what we could see was the underside and the end user will never see what is there made it even more special.

Perhaps the best part of the tour was to be shown around the valve stores. Thousands upon thousands of valves in very secure storage. Some very old and some very rare in very small quantities, and then there were some in their thousands! Peter admitted that sometimes he spends hours upon hours in there just sifting through them a bit like looking through his record collection. Aladdin’s cave on steroids you could say!

Last but by no means least was final assembly and packing where every product is meticulously checked and then packed ready to wing it’s way to a new home. Seeing where the pallets of products were destined for reminded us that this is really is a Global company.

Soon enough it was time for us to say our goodbyes and wing our way back along the M4.

We had a fabulous weekend and certainly an eye opener as to what actually goes into the research, development and production of some of the finest hi-fi produced world wide.

As many of you who would have read about Audio Note, Peter makes no apologies for saying that his Hi-fi is all about the musical performance and not about measurements.

Audio Note’s tag line is “ Music’s finest Conductor”, all I can say is that if Audio Note is the finest Conductor then the people that make up the Audio Note family are the Orchestra behind the performance.

Huge thanks to Peter and the whole team at Audio Note for such a warm welcome and fantastic couple of days.

Hopefully we will have some demonstration units in the new demo room very soon, so keep an eye on our social media and website for updates.

Thanks for reading.

Nic, Chris and Ade - Audio T Swansea

Be sure to keep an eye on what’s happening in the Swansea store by following us on instagram and Facebook.

Audio Note can be found at the following Audio-T stores

August 28, 2021

Linn Vs Naim - The Great British Duel...

August 28, 2021/ Brighton

A few weeks back, during those customary ‘end of July showers’, we had a customer brave the elements and walk through our door to enquire about upgrading his streamer. He asked us “If money was no object, should I buy the Klimax DSM, or the ND555?”… While we’ve heard and experienced both units individually, we’ve never sat down and compared them side by side in one sitting… so we thought we’d do just that, and now we’re going to tell you about it!

Here at Audio T Brighton, we consider ourselves to be incredibly lucky to have both a Klimax DSM and an ND555 available for demonstration. Those familiar with Naim and Linn will know the heritage of the two companies, and you’ll no doubt know how they differ in terms of design. To make the comparison as fair as possible we’ve put them up against each other in the exact same system. The only component being changed are the streamers themselves, so this should give us a clear picture of the differences between the two units.

The system* comprises of -

We’re using Naim Super Lumina Speaker cables. The ND555 is hooked up with a Naim Super Lumina interconnect, and the Klimax is using a Linn Silver interconnect which comes in the box with the Klimax).

*We’re fully aware that using a full Naim system is going to compliment a Naim streamer well, but that’s not to say you can’t plug anything else in and expect excellent results. The main thing to remember that the only part we’re changing is the streamer itself.

Two streamers, two looks…

Those familiar with Naim’s Classic series will recognise the box straight away from the olive green LED logo. The 500 series is incredibly similar in design, but the big difference is the smooth black anodised case, which Naim themselves refer to as the ‘500 series finish’, as opposed to the slightly rougher black powder coat on the Classics.

The Klimax DSM is a slightly different beast. The DSM design is fairly familiar, at least in recent years, as the Klimax is in a similar box to the Selekt DSM and the Majik DSM - although the Majik doesn’t have the volume knob on the top. However, the big difference here is the material. The Klimax DSM is machined out of one solid block of aluminium. It really is a piece of engineering art that happens to translate music to the highest of calibres.

So which one sounds better?

It’s safe to say that the world of Hi-Fi is truly a subjective one. One person’s ‘audio bliss’ could be another’s ‘nails on a chalkboard’, so it’s really impossible to give a definitive answer on which one is best. However, we’ll give you a descriptive picture of what they both offer.

We all know that there are a ton of “go-to” test songs out there. Well, we’ve used absolutely none of them for this comparison. “But why?” we hear you cry. To put it simply, we believe that in some circumstances that test songs can be redundant if you don’t listen to that song or artist. The best test songs for any system are whatever you’re going to be listening to regularly. Sure, test songs have their place in testing the response of a system, but to determine your own preferences, stick to your favourite albums and build the system around those.

For this purpose we’ve picked one song that is immaculately produced - Slow Burn by Kacey Musgraves - and one that is a bit more rough around the edges - Steady as She Goes by The Raconteurs. Both are award winning tracks, but they are almost at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of engineering. This is a big part of why we’ve chosen these two tracks, as will be revealed! We’ll be chatting about both tracks individually.

First up, Slow Burn from Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour album -

Every track on this album is remarkably well produced, even winning Album of the Year at the 61st Grammy Awards. This particular track is a firm favourite though. It starts with some acoustic guitars, followed shortly by Kacey’s vocal. As soon as the guitar starts, you feel as though you’re in the room with the guitar. At this point the difference between the two units is fairly negligible, with the Naim having maybe a tad more of an edge on the vocal. The biggest difference so far is the soundstage, which is a touch more 3D on the Naim, but it isn’t until the bass and drums come in during the second verse that the difference becomes more obvious. The Linn is very clean and clear, and the high production of this track really starts to shine. It has a real “direct-from-desk” feel, as if you’re listening back to a newly finished track in the mastering studio. Each instrument has its space in the track, and the vocal remains clear throughout, even when the track does get louder. On the Naim, the bass and drums almost leap out of the speakers at you, with a real significant punchy feel. The separation between instruments is still there, but the guitars have an edge that isn’t quite so apparent on the Linn.

Next, Steady as She Goes from The Raconteurs debut album Broken Boy Soldiers -

Anyone familiar with Jack White and his style of ‘analog only’ engineering, will enjoy this album immensely. The collaboration with the rest of The Raconteurs means that things are kept a little in check, especially compared to some of the White Stripes records, but as a result we get some fantastic songs. This one starts with a punchy drum and bass intro, followed shortly by a very crunchy guitar. This is where the Naim really shone for the first time in the test, the edge in the upper mids produced by the ND555 grabs hold of that guitar and brings it right to the front. When switching to the Linn, the drum and bass intro doesn’t leap out of the speakers in the same way. You don’t feel that air move as much with each kick drum hit, and the crunchy guitar doesn’t have the edge, like on the Naim. However, when the vocal comes in, the story changes a bit. The Linn grabs that vocal and thrusts it right to the front of the mix, and even through the tape saturation of the vocal, it remains clear through the entire song, including the loud fuzzed out guitar chorus. The same chorus on the Naim remains punchier but the vocal isn’t as clear and up front. There does feel like a bit more of that 3D soundstage we mentioned earlier. It’s especially noticeable on this track, more so than on the earlier Kacey Musgraves track. You can really cling on to each instrument and vocal part separately, whereas with the Linn it feels as though the individual instruments have been fitted in and around the ever present vocal.

Our closing thoughts…

The most interesting part of this test was how much difference there was in the units with the Raconteurs track compared to the Kacey Musgraves. It has led us to conclude that if you’re looking for the most accurate representation of an album, and don’t want an overly punchy, particularly forward presentation, the Klimax DSM might be the streamer for you. If you want all the detail, but a bit more in your face, then the ND555 might be your preferred path.

Both the Naim ND555 and Linn Klimax DSM will be worthy streamers that will serve you admirably, but as always, listen to them both for yourself! It’s not a small investment for either unit, so you’ll definitely want to be sure you make the right choice.

Thanks for reading.

John, Paul, and Chris - Audio T Brighton

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Naim can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Linn can be found at the following Audio-T stores

August 10, 2021

BEYERDYNAMIC AMIRON HOME OPEN BACK HEADPHONES.

August 10, 2021/ Manchester

Much like shopping for a new set of speakers, headphones can be just as daunting. There is such a huge range of manufacturers and models that it is difficult to know where to start. So we thought that as we’ve only just started to stock Beyerdynamic here at Manchester, and the fact that Amiron Home have been a staple product of theirs for the last few years, we would take a look at the Amiron, and with the help of our store mascot “Chromey”, put them through their paces and see if they can still hold their own against the competition…

Right then Chromey, lets get these headphones plugged in, there shoud be a headphone amp lurking around here somewhere.

The Comfort

One thing that is unique about shopping for headphones compared to speakers is that not only do we take sound quality into consideration, but also the comfort and fit. The Amiron have you covered… They feature a super soft headband, made from alcantara microfibre, a common synthetic fabric with a texture similar to suede. You’ll actually find this plush pile used in automotive interiors, so not only is it comfortable, but durable too. So it’s good to know that the ear cups are made from the same materials as well.

Combine this with a construction of other lightweight materials, and you have a pair of headphones that you can wear all day long without discomfort. They truly are extremely comfortable around the ears… Very cosy!

The Build

The fit and finish of the Amiron Home exceed what you’d expect of a pair of headphones around the £500 mark, which is excellent.

There are little design touches, such as the way the earcups connect to the headband, that are of the highest quality. Even the smallest detail has been meticulously thought through. When you have a product of this calibre, there is a certain sense of longevity to their design. Components are easily replaceable, which is a good thing, especially if you’re on the clumsy side and end up sitting on them… that could happen to the best of us!

The Sound

The drive units utilise Beyerdynamics’ own Tesla technology. They employ a much stronger magnetic field than standard headphones, Beyerdynamic claim this technology is responsible for the improved sound quality. I can certainly confirm that they help reduce unwanted vibrations and rein in any annoying treble resonances. These open-back headphones produce a spacious three-dimensionality, allowing you to experience music of incredible openness and transparency.

Listening

Listening to “In Rainbows” from Radiohead, Thom Yorke’s voice is sweet and concise on the track “Weird Fishes”. The bass response of the headphones hit low enough to complement the exceptionally well recorded basslines, as well as provide definition and clarity between the guitars and keyboards in a clear and defined manner.

Bonobo’s “Black Sands” album is one of our favourites here at Manchester. The first track, “Prelude”, mainly consists of strings. And yet again, the Amiron Home sound rich and detailed. The bass response is powerful but doesn’t overpower the mix, something that we have experienced with other brands and models.

Hand Made

It goes without saying that here at Audio T we love handmade products of a high quality. Just look at some of the impressive brands we stock and you’ll see what we mean. So it’s great to know that Beyerdynamic are no exception, making their headphones by hand at their factory in Heilbronn, Germany.

“The “made in Germany” seal of quality not only applies to the product development side of the business but, for the overwhelming majority of products, also to the manufacturing side: the designs created by the beyerdynamic engineers and designers in Heilbronn are subsequently crafted, largely by hand, by around 300 highly qualified employees in Germany.”

— Beyerdynamic

The Beyerdynamic Amiron Home are available for demonstration, along with a collection of other models from the Beyer headphone range, here at the Manchester store. Please feel free to contact us and arrange a time to pop in and have a demonstration.

Munir, Dave, James, Mike and Haden - Audio T Manchester

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Beyerdynamic can be found at the following Audio-T stores

CARDIFF
MANCHESTER
SWANSEA
PORTSMOUTH
ONLINE STORE
OXFORD
You can see the specification credits below.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

Transducer type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . dynamic
Operating principle . . . . . . . . . . . . . open
Frequency response . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 - 40,000 Hz
Impedance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Ω
Nominal SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 dB (1 mW / 500 Hz)
T.H.D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . < 0.05%
Nominal power handling capacity . . 200 mW
Max. SPL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125 dB (200 mW / 500 Hz)
Sound coupling to the ear . . . . . . . . circumaural
Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 m / double-sided
Connector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . gold-plated mini stereo

July 30, 2021

SPEAKERS WITH CONFIDENCE… THE LATEST RANGE FROM DYNAUDIO

July 30, 2021/ Manchester

Here at Audio T, we’re proud to say we now have Confidence! Well, to be honest we’ve always had confidence in our ability to provide great service and bring you some of the best sounding equipment in the industry, but now we can stick our chest out with pride and declare that the Confidence Range from Dynaudio will blow you away… Read on…

DYNAUDIO CONFIDENCE 20

Firstly, we’ll take a look at the Dynaudio Confidence 20. Finished in a stylish modern smoke grey, paired with their bespoke floor stands in a matching colour scheme. There is an elegance to their design that defies convention.

The Confidence 20 features a two-way reflex port design which utilises a downward firing system that is cleverly controlled by the dome shaped plinth on the top plate of the stand. Although they are the smallest speaker in the range, they are in no way small sounding, providing a huge soundstage. There is no doubt that performance would be optimised when paired with equipment of a matching or higher quality. To put this theory to the test, we paired them with Naim, Chord Electronics and Linn, brands that we particularly favour here in Manchester. We were not left disappointed and found excellent results every time.

As they have a minimum 5 Ohm load and a sensitivity of 87dB/w, they can be driven by any good amplifier of similar quality to an optimal level.

These speakers incorporate the latest Esotar 3 28mm silk dome tweeter, which has improved dispersion due to the new Dynaudio resonance stabilising Hexis inner dome technology.

The Hexis inner dome has replaced the felt ring design Dynaudio used to favour behind the tweeter diaphragm. The new design maximises control over resonant frequencies, whilst at the same time smoothing out the speaker’s high frequency response.

This is paired with the new 18cm NeoTec msp woofer, which as you’d come to expect from Dynaudio features a vented voice coil and utilises a neodymium rare earth magnet, (as does the tweeter). These have greater magnetism than conventional magnets and are also far smaller and lighter, giving the speaker a higher performance.

Designed in Dynaudios Jupiter lab, absolutely nothing has been left to chance with the new Confidence range. This amazing facility allows Dynaudio to simulate all sorts of different scenarios from real world domestic settings to unnervingly absorbent properties of an anechoic chamber. This allows them to achieve their trademark sound as quickly as possible and with more accuracy than ever before.

Performance wise, they have a refined high frequency response with controlled and authoritative bass. Having switched over to them from the much larger Contour 60i, the amount of low frequency produced from such a small cabinet is astounding. With a soundstage as high as it is wide the Confidence 20 will fill your room with detail in all three dimensions.

With a range of musical tastes from punk to jazz and folk to drum and bass all present within the store, we were able to put the Confidence 20s through their paces in every conceivable way, loud, quiet, fast, slow, clean and dirty. They impressed at every turn.

Play a simple recording of just voice and piano, such as the Citizen of Glass album by Agnes Obel, and the confidence allow the emotion of the voice to flow through them, somehow effortlessly placed above the perfectly ringing strings of the piano.

At the other end of the spectrum, they take nothing away from the ferocity of Zach De Le Rochas vocal on Rage Against the Machine’s Sleep Now In The Fire, while still portraying the huge riffs behind him.

Both the Dynaudio Confidence 20 and Confidence 50 are on demonstration in our Manchester store.

Munir, Dave, James, Mike and Haden - Audio T Manchester

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Dynaudio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 30, 2021

THE POWER OF TELEPORTATION - REL T5/x SUB-BASS SYSTEM & ARROW WIRELESS TRANSMITTER

July 30, 2021/ Swansea

One of the many conversations that has dominated in-store communication over the past couple of years has been one similar to "I like the sound of my Hi-Fi, I don't want to change its character, but can it give me more?" Our answer increasingly includes the phrase "Have you considered a subwoofer?" which very often is met with raised eyebrows and a slew of expressions on the theme of "Do I look like I spend my weekends listening to repetitive electronic music in abandoned warehouses?"

Hello handsome! The new REL T5x with Arrow receiver peeking over the top.

So bear with me for a moment whilst I explain what I’m talking about…

A couple of memorable subwoofer installations I've had in recent times have included a setup for an elderly lady who was partial to a bit of Wagner, but my favourite has to be a soon-to-be-retired nurse who listened to Choral and Baroque music. Not your stereotypical Bass junkies by any stretch of the imagination - So why did these customers choose to buy a subwoofer? Because the right subwoofer (or as REL Acoustics would have you call it, a “sub-bass system”) will keep the character of your existing system, but expand the range in which it operates, opening up the perceived soundstage to allow us to hear the performance as a whole.

THE PROOF IS IN THE LISTENING

The moment of revelation for our choir loving nurse came whilst demonstrating a REL T5x subwoofer and listening to the popular Welsh song, "Myfanwy". The CD was recorded in Swansea’s prestigious concert venue, Brangwyn Hall and performed by our very own Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir. This particular piece held a very sentimental place in our customer’s heart as it featured her own, dear old Dad.

The track opens with the huge, black silence of this revered venue, the choir take a first great breath, it reverberates in the space and in a heartbeat we're transported right to the middle of the Hall.

"Paham mae dicter, O Myfanwy, Yn llenwi'th lygaid duon di?"

("Why so the anger, Oh Myfanwy, That fills your dark eyes?")

The remarkable massed sotto voce fills the room and envelopes you in sound, like sliding into a warm swimming pool. Absolutely jaw-dropping stuff and if you're Welsh, you probably just found the room inexplicably dusty and you’re reaching for your handkerchief…

"Oh! you must think me a sentimental old woman", to which I replied - "No, no don’t worry; happens all the time."

A Rega Brio for scale - it’s neat bit of kit

Press pause, switch off the sub, settle back, restart the track and......nothing. The choir breathes in and starts to sing. And where's the Hall? Where's the drama, the scale, the sensation of space? The tension? All of it has simply disappeared. Desolation. Was it really ever there? Is this some trick?

Pause again, switch the REL T5x back on, sit down, take in a meaningful glance from the customer - (clearly I'd better return 'it') - start the track again... a heartbeat… and we're spirited back to Dad and the boys in the Hall, all those long years ago…

"Do you mind if I hang on to your subwoofer until mine comes in? Sorry to be cheeky Ade bach*, but I don't think I want to be without it now..."

*“Bach” being the Welsh for 'little' or “small”, used mostly by the older generation as a term of endearment, especially towards a younger person.

The business end. Arrow draws it’s power from the T5x which helps cut down on cabling considerably.

The latest version of the REL T/x Series subwoofers has far greater scale and presence than before, rather like the effortless character of the flagship S Series. In fact, i would go as far to say that they are far more like a smaller S series than a supercharged T/i series; a great improvement without a huge inflation on cost.

The T/x Series retain the extremely useful and easy-to-use optional wireless connection kit, the REL Arrow, which enables effective placement without the worrying logistics of how to hide a cable all the way around the room. During this demonstration I realised that my own personal T7i is starting to look somewhat undergunned...

If you're worried about wireless reliability and sound quality - as Rob from REL said to us: "Did Prince worry when he used wireless tech performing in front of 20 million people during Super Bowl XLI's Halftime show?" Well, quite!

Look at all the spaghetti you won’t have to deal with! As you can see, Arrow will ship .1 LFE as well as High Level (full range) audio.

CONCLUSION

I think it’s safe to say that for those of you out there that assume a subwoofer’s sole purpose is to bring hard thumpings lows to your set-up, you’re mistaken. The right subwoofer has the ability to help replicate a real world listening experience that is almost impossible to achieve with just stereo speakers alone.

We have the entire T/x series available in Swansea for demonstration right now. Why not book a demonstration and experience what all the fuss is about?

Thanks for reading.

Ade, Nic and Chris - Audio T Swansea

Be sure to keep an eye on what’s happening in the Swansea store by following us on instagram and Facebook.

REL can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 29, 2021

THE GRAND SELECTION - REASON VERSUS THE SENSES

July 29, 2021/ Bristol

Epicurus, the ancient Greek philosopher, believed that the senses are the only reliable sources of information. He famously rejected Plato's ramblings of "Reason" as a reliable source of knowledge about the world and was bitterly opposed to the Skeptics, who not only questioned the ability of the senses to provide accurate knowledge about the world, but also whether it is even possible to know anything about the world at all. Here at Audio T Bristol we believe that the senses are very much the only source when it comes to comparing speakers…

The Grand Selection before you are the finest stand mount speakers for around £1,000. Each one of these speakers is worthy of a write up of their own, indeed, consider reading our previous reviews of the ATC SCM7 and the Acoustic Energy AE500 series.

NEW to Audio-T Bristol are the much lauded creation by Italian craftsmen, Sonus Faber Lumina II, the larger sibling to the entry level Lumina I.

To Placate the Platonic readers - here's how they "measure up" -

So, the Platonic winner here is the Acoustic Energy AE500. The largest speaker by a sip under a pint, the broadest frequency response, the most sensitive and they weigh the most - all important £/KG factor. Done - next review... The Skeptics have decided that this is pointless and have returned to their caves to make fire.

"Not so fast!", cries the Epicurious. It's all about savouring the sound, What do they taste like? Well, all are made from HDF - woody? But, then the Sonus Fabers are leather clad - so beefy?

THE SETUP

To put these speakers to the test we matched a fairly typical system -

Integrated amps: Naim Supernait 3, Rega Elex-R,

Source: The NEW Bluesound Node with Chord Qutest,

Cables: Chord OdysseyX, Chord Shawline 2RCA - 2RCA 1m, Chord Epic X coax Digital Interconnect.

Streaming service: Qobuz

Turntable: Rega P3 with Elys cart

HOW DO THEY SOUND?

There is no getting away from the fact that these are astounding stand mount speakers in their own right. All have first class build quality, remarkable bass performance for their size, low distortion at high volumes, crisp treble and superb voicing. The ATC SCM7’s have a musically revealing, monitor-like quality performance - the benchmark for the price and size. The AE500 from Acoustic Energy have the widest dispersion, thanks to the waveguide and deeply sunken drivers. Surprisingly the Italian Lumina II’s are the best of both worlds. The revealing mid/upper mid clarity akin to that of the ATC combined with the low depth of the AE500’s thanks to the Sonus Faber front firing bass port. The final decision is a matter of personal choice…

The ancient Greeks were also pioneers of astronomy, and with today's opinions, views and review ratings, stars are as plentiful as in the night sky (or a What-HiFi review). It is extremely difficult to make a truly informed decision. Which is why the Epicurean feasting of your ears on this Grand selection and listening for yourselves is really the only way to decide - So why wait? Book an audition with us - All philosophers welcome.

Thanks for reading.

Max, James & Justin - Audio T Bristol

Be sure to keep up to date with what’s going on in store by following us Facebook and Instagram.

Sonus faber can be found at the following Audio-T stores

ATC can be found at the following Audio-T stores

Acoustic Energy can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 21, 2021

TRICKLE-DOWN EXCELLENCE - THE NEW DYNAUDIO EMIT RANGE.

July 21, 2021/ Reading

Here in our Reading store, we have taken delivery of the recently announced Dynaudio Emit range, the latest iteration of Dynaudio’s entry-level model of two-channel and surround-sound speakers. We’ve decided to concentrate our efforts on evaluating the Emit 10 and Emit 20 bookshelf and the Emit 30 floor standers, exclusively in stereo music mode.

The recently discontinued predecessors of the current iteration of the Emits had developed an excellent reputation as high value, dynamic and musical entry-level speakers. To say we were sorry to see them go was an understatement. When the old models ceased production and their successors were inevitably delayed by the Covid -19 shutdown, there was still some pent-up customer demand for the outgoing range which we could not fulfill. The new Emit range certainly has some big shoes to fill. So let’s check them out…

The Technical Stuff

So, what do we have here that is different? Well, the new Emit range is the result of trickle-down technology developed from Dynaudio’s premium Evoke speakers. It's the same team working on all the products, so they can utilise their expertise to bring high-calibre product performance to people taking their first steps in real quality hi-fi.

The cabinets

What impresses is the attention to detail and finish. Everything is thought through and made to count. This is about look and feel, and you can’t help but be impressed at how well everything is put together. The cabinets have a stylish, clean, minimalist design, all with a selection of finishes that would sit comfortably in most domestic settings. Available in Black, White and Walnut finishes complete with detachable fabric grilles

From left to right - the Emit 30 and stand-mount Emit 20 and 10. Note the tweeder protector on the Emit 20!

Both the bookshelf and the floorstanders are solid & sturdy and sit securely on stands and the floor respectively. The speakers each have a removable yellow magnetic tweeter protector to guard against unwanted little fingers or paws pushin in the cerotar tweeter. Just be sure to take them off when listening to music, or you might wonder where all the high-end has gone!

Detail of the flared bass reflex port on the emit 20

The 2021 Emit loudspeakers all feature 18mm MDF custom laminate finished cabinets sporting a new dual-flared bass-reflex port, optimised to reduce air turbulence and minimise unwanted 'chuffing' with deep notes rifling the air outwards.

Each separate speaker in the range features a a bespoke level of acoustic dampening material to achieve the optimum level of openness without any compromising resonant frequencies.

Dynaudio Emit Drivers

It is apparent that thoughtful attention to detail has been paid at each level of the design and manufacturing process. Handling the upper-frequency range is Dynaudio's Cerotar tweeter, which has quite a lineage. As mentioned before, tech has been borrowed from the renowned Evoke series. The Cerotar is derived from the Esotar Forty tweeter developed for the renowned Special 40 speaker. Boasting a custom “AirFlow” magnet made from exotic materials and a 28mm voice-coil, formed from aluminium with a clever Hexis inner dome controlling airflow. The idea behind all this is to reduce unwanted resonances behind the coated fabric soft-dome diaphragm thanks to advanced airflow optimisation in the rear chamber. The aim is to produce cleaner, sweeter high frequencies.

The Emit's midrange units and woofers are also based on those found in the Evoke range. These are bonded directly to the copper-clad aluminium voice-coil assembly, which promises to give more control over their movement. They utilise dual-stacked ferrite-ceramic magnet systems - using more magnets is about achieving greater control over the driver's movement and excursion for increased sonic precision. It also helps to improve dynamics at lower frequencies, whilst maintaining impressive midrange performance.

Dynaudio Emit Crossovers

Dishing out the drivers’ duties are hybrid design crossovers, using varying combinations of first, second, and fourth-order topologies. According to Dynaudio, the reason for this is simply because “one size doesn't fit all”. So instead, each speaker in the range is given its own combination of crossover designs to ensure sonic unity across the series. At the same time, this approach is said to enable the company to optimise each individual speaker's performance for the job it has to do.

How do they sound?

One of the most outstanding attributes is the consistent sonic picture across the range. Given the laws of physics, you will understand that the smaller drivers of the Emit 10 will not project the same way as the floor standing 30, but the point is that there is a signature “family sound” across the range. So, all that deep and considered engineering seems to have successfully worked.

All the models get to the core of the music, its dynamics, nuances and timing clues. There is a standout agile bass, a focussed midrange and insightful treble. Altogether, they project a cohesive and deep sound field.

They certainly don’t lack excitement and are superb for long-term listening sessions, as you will find when you get delightfully lost in the performance!

What do they work with?

Whilst Hi-Fi in it’s very nature is subjective and mostly modular, you’ll find that certain configurations just gel together. During our listening sessions we found the Emit 10 worked well across a range of systems. They truly complimented our trusty go-to vinyl system comprising of a Rega Planar 3 and Brio, but also performed above our expectations in a higher-end compact digital system on the end of a Naim Uniti Atom. After this, we thought we’d mix it up a little and set-up a streaming system comprising of the Leak Stereo 130 and Bluesound Node, which was deeply satisfying. Moving on from here we placed them with several higher end streaming systems and the Emit 10 proved to be a real chameleon that responds well to system upgrades. Whatever the level, they always produced a sonically cohesive sound, with a tight but deep bass.

The emit 20’s in their element in the dem room, with the Rega/Innuos system

Next we put a pair Emit 20 on the end of a Rega Elicit- R, Innuos Zen Mini, and Rega Planar 6 with Exact MM cartridge. What we got was a rich and immersive sound that took us to the heart of the performance. We tried this combo with a range of music, from jazz to heavy dub with excellent results. What was particularly impressive was the way it grabbed the true essence of that reggae/dub sound of Lee Scratch Perry, allowing all the dynamics bass through, but keeping the mid and upper ranges under control, a well balanced mix. These speakers performed really well in our large demo room, whereas some speakers of a similar size can be easily lost.

The Emit 30 performed astonishingly well on the end of a Linn Majik DSM, proving that the Emit series are more than capable to up their game with better amplification and front-end music services. A real standout system for myself was the Emit 30, Rega Elicit-R, Innuos Zen Mini and Rega Planar 6. A setup that I can only describe as “simply epic”

In conclusion

So, a spectacular and flexible “entry” level series of products, high quality in their own right, whilst giving a taste of what is achievable higher up the Dynaudio range.

But why just take our word for it? Come and experience it for yourself in a well curated system built around your needs. Contact us to book a demonstration.

Rob & Gareth – Audio T Reading

Be sure to keep an eye out on what’s happening at the Reading store by following us on Facebook.

Dynaudio products are available in these stores:

Music Used

You might want to try some of these…….

· Nubya Garcia – Source

· Morcheeba – Blaze Away

· Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – Ghosteen

· The Orb (feat. Lee Scratch Perry) – More Tales from the Observatory

· Fun Lovin’ Criminals – Come Find Yourself

· Lee Scratch Perry – Double Seven (Red vinyl)

· Various Classical (streaming)

July 19, 2021

STREAMING & MORE - INTRODUCING THE NAIM UNITI ATOM HEADPHONE EDITION

July 19, 2021/ Swindon

The Naim Uniti Atom is an award winning, high quality, all-in-one streaming solution. All you need to do is add a pair of loudspeakers - Job done! But not everyone wants or has the space for speakers, or perhaps they prefer the more intimate listening experience of headphones. What then? Introducing the Naim Uniti Atom Headphones Edition.

Whilst the conventional Uniti Atom HDMI does feature a built-in 3.5mm headphone socket, its main purpose is to serve more as a central hub for all your entertainment needs. Now, moving away from the standard version, the headphone edition removes the built-in stereo amplifier in favour of a dedicated, high quality, discrete headphone amplifier which utilises technology from the company’s flagship range, the Statement Series. Whilst you may think that the Headphone Edition could be slightly restrictive in its functionality, you’d be wrong. If you’re already familiar with Naim and its very user friendly app, you’ll be no stranger to its multi-room functionality, meaning you could include the Atom to your existing set-up. On top of this, with the inclusion of an optional external amplifier, this system can be used as the streaming source to your Hi-Fi system. But first and foremost, the Naim Uniti Atom Headphone Edition is designed to turn any space in to your own personal audio cocoon.

FEATURES

The Uniti Headphone Edition offers three headphones connections - On the front panel you’ll find a 6.3mm and balanced 4.4mm Pentaconn connection, on the rear is a balanced 4-pin XLR. This plethora of connections gives you the flexibility to keep up to three headphones plugged in at any time and switch sets depending on what you’re listening to and when.

You’ll also find a pair of balanced XLR and RCA pre-amplifier outputs so you can connect the Uniti to a power amplifier or even directly to active speakers. There are three digital (two optical and one coax) plus a USB-A socket to add more sources to the system.

Uniti Atom HE on the left ( two headphone sockets ) and the Uniti Atom

Uniti Atom HE on the left next to the Uniti Atom

SO MUCH CHOICE - WHAT TO LISTEN TO?

There is so much choice with these systems as to what to play. Stream music from services like Tidal Hi-Fi, Qobuz or Spotify, play music wirelessly via AirPlay2, Bluetooth or Chromecast from your smartphone, tablet or computer. Copy your entire music collection to a pocket drive and plug it in to the front USB socket. Not enough? Select from thousands of Internet radio stations via the Naim control app and listen away.

Perhaps you would like to connect a turntable via a phono stage? No problem. There is an analogue input on the back.

SOUND QUALITY AND APP CONTROL - HOW GOOD IS IT ?

For the purpose of our test we used quite a few pairs of very good sounding headphones. Sennheiser HD800S (open back) and HD820 (closed back), Beyerdynamic T1 (openback) and a pair of Grado RS2 (openback).

You don’t have to have the expert ear of a musician or studio engineer to hear the difference a headphone amplifier of this calibre makes. It’s the control at higher volume levels, more spacing between instruments and more punch with the right timing - Just to name a few benefits.

The Naim Audio Control App is fun and easy to use, plus we find it to be one of the more stable apps available in the Hi-Fi world. This free download is available on both iOS or Android.

It allows the change of the source layout, style (app background) , inputs can be renamed and pre-amp & headphones maximum volume levels can be set individually.

Reading is one thing and believing is another - So please come in and have a listen for yourself . Bring some music on a memory stick or enjoy browsing a vast catalogue from Tidal or Qobuz here in the shop.

We look forward to seeing you in store soon - Andy & Stefan - Audio-T Swindon

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

Naim Uniti can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 16, 2021

DYNAUDIO EMIT 10 - A REVAMP ON A FIRM FAVOURITE

July 16, 2021/ Oxford

Dynaudio speakers have been a popular choice at our Oxford branch. So much so, that each member of the team have, at some point, owned a pair whilst on our Hi-Fi journey. So, as I’m sure you’ll understand, we were very excited when Dynaudio announced the latest addition to their range.

The replacement for the very recently discontinued Emits, Dynaudio's entry level speaker range, were announced just a few weeks ago, so it was a genuine surprise to receive (quite unexpectedly and so quickly) our brand new demonstration pairs of the new Emit 10 stand-mounts and Emit 30 floor-standing speakers, late last Friday afternoon. The Emit 10s, the focus of this blog, are priced at around £630* a pair and are available in the standard Satin Black or White, but also a more contemporary Walnut Wood finish. Both the Black Satin finish and the Walnut Wood have a beautifully machined and finished, matt black front baffle with the white baffle naturally being white - as you might expect!

Our demo set arrived in the Black Satin finish and as with the stylish front baffle, the vinyl wrap has been applied with care and attention to detail. The fit and finish is exemplary and under the right light, the black wrap shimmers, yet to the touch it is clear this is a robust finish. The first impression is one of a carefully designed and well made product, there is a real sense of perceived value with this new iteration. Despite being the entry point to the extensive Dynaudio range, the new Emit range also offer a significant step up over the outgoing models; and this is no small feat as the original range were multiple award winners, and a long term favourite to us here at Oxford. Whilst the outgoing Emit M10 were a serious bargain for just around £500, these replacements are a definite step over and above, and for such a small price increase, a genuinely delightful surprise.

Both drive-units have been significantly improved, with the mid-range/bass Driver utilising a double-stacked magnet assembly which delivers stronger mid-range performance with improved dynamics as well as a significantly deeper bass response than the specs imply, or that should be realistically expected from a speaker at this price point; particularly from such a diminutive cabinet. But that is not the best of the improvements Dynaudio has undertaken with this new range. The new Emits sport the Cerotar tweeter which was developed for the Evoke range, the next step up the Dynaudio ladder, delivering much more refinement and fine detail.

As it was a Friday afternoon, any distraction is a welcome one and as this was an unexpected delivery, we didn’t need too much persuasion to dispense with the admin and we didn't wait for a second to unpack the Emit 10s. As we had a suitable set-up left over from our opening demo of the day, they were quickly slotted in to a novel system, comprising the new Bluesound Node as source, a Quad QC24 Pre-Amp and the Quad Artera Stereo, a potent power amplifier with more than enough juice to control the Emit 10. With just a few moments allocated to the set-up, we went headlong into a good hour of listening and cutting straight to the chase, what a speaker. Straight out of the box and the sound was beyond impressive, particularly when we reminded ourselves of the cost. I've already alluded to the surprising bass response but these new Emit 10 speakers image well, expose fine detail and with that Cerotar tweeter in effect, they deliver a warm yet sonorous vocal regardless of the track that was chosen. Naturally the Quad Pre and Power aren't really price commensurate, and are less likely to be partnered with these speakers. So we thought we would try something much more appropriate and slotted in the ever-popular Rega Brio, a far more natural partnership and one that I think may well be frequently paired with the new Dynaudio in the future. Any reduction in performance was far from obvious. Maybe a slightly reduced stereo image, but no less sparkle to the performance and the bass was still as present and as apparently impressive as before the change. However, closing time caught up with us quicker than we had anticipated and while these new Emit 10 speakers were proving to be a serious distraction! It was time to close for the day so we set the Node to a random radio station - a junglist heaven of some description - and gave the Emit 10s a 16 hour run-in overnight.

Arriving the following morning, even before we had made the tea, we sat down again for a further listen, and as you might expect, the Emit 10 demonstrated they are capable of doing more of everything they had indicated they could the day before. Same full bass but with a more relaxed mid-range and a clearer and smoother top-end. I have no doubt that these speakers will just keep getting better and better once they’ve exceeded the average run-in time of 30 plus hours. I've got a sneaking suspicion these new Emits will be a very popular range, bringing a level of performance and refinement you rarely find at this price point.

While we have concentrated on the Emit 10s, very much in the context of a stereo set-up, the new Emit range comprises of five speakers with as much focus on home-cinema as stereo application. This new Emit range comprises five speakers with dedicated centre speaker, the Emit 25 Centre, a larger stand-mount, the Emit 20 and two floor-standing models. The Emit 30, a slim floor-standing speaker and the larger Emit 50. If these are even half as good as our first impressions of the 10s, this will be a range of speakers absolutely worthy of auditioning.

We now have the Emit 10s on permanent demonstration at the Oxford branch. And as I mentioned at the beginning of the blog-post, the Emit 10 were also delivered with our demo pair of the smaller floorstanders, the Emit 30.

Please feel free Contact Us to schedule a demonstration either in store or at home.

Andrew, Jon and Luke Audio T Oxford

Be sure to keep up with all that is going on at Audio T Oxford by following us on Facebook and Instagram.

Dynaudio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

(*Please Note: Any prices mentioned are subject to change)

July 07, 2021

BUDGET BEAUTIES THAT PUNCH WELL ABOVE THEIR WEIGHT - MONITOR AUDIO BRONZE 100

July 07, 2021/ Cheltenham

I had fleetingly mentioned the Monitor Audio Bronze 100 in a previous blog where they were being used to demonstrate other parts of a Hi-Fi system. Over the course of the past few lockdowns it has become very apparent that for their size and price, these little beasts are actually rather special and truly are a bargain!

The entry level Bronze range by Monitor Audio have always been admirable performers and fun to listen to, but these new 6th generation bookshelf/stand mount designs with their killer combination of bass weight, delectable highs and gorgeous new contemporary styling guarantees that they will win plenty of admirers.

The Design…

These budget beauties have a price tag of around £360, but don’t let that put you off, there is nothing budget about the solid build quality and the sound these speakers can produce. The star attraction here is the 200mm bass/mid driver. This is the same driver as used on the range topping Bronze 500 floorstander, and is a rare find in a speaker at this price in a market dominated by small drive units. Made from Monitor Audio’s bespoke C-CAM composite material it also features Damped Concentric Mode (DCM) technology, which is designed to reduce distortions and break up in the drive unit…. It looks rather sleek too! These chunky drive units are bolted in to the cabinet by a large rear mounted bolt designed to decouple the diver from the front baffle, this also has the added benefit of providing much greater cabinet rigidity too .

C-CAM is once again used for the Bronze 100’s ‘Gold Dome’ tweeter (same as the Silver range). The honeycomb patterned Uniform Dispersion Waveguide is there to improve off axis dispersion from the recessed tweeter. This also improves the time alignment between the bass and the treble. Monitor Audio also supply a rounded cloth covered grille, should you not like the look of the uncovered drive units.

A nice chunky set of gold plated binding posts allow for bi wiring and will also take 4mm banana plugs.

A flared and patterned rear mounted bass port reduces spurious chuffing noises that a port can sometimes produce. There is a foam bung provided to block up the port should the bass ever prove to be too overpowering. This may be beneficial if the speakers are to be sited on cabinets or in the corner of a room. It goes without saying that for optimum performance the ideal mounting for them is on top of a decent pair of loudspeaker stands.

The proof is in the listening…

Sound wise there is so much that these Monitor Audios do that will amaze you for the money. I decided to put them through their paces with the track Deep Elem Blues by The Grateful Dead from the mainly acoustic live album Reckoning. The Bronze 100’s produced a big open and expansive out of the box stereo image that really does belie their price. The treble sounds detailed and open, making vocals and harmonies sound entirely natural. The real surprise here though is that bass! Fast and deep yet still tight and totally controlled. The live acoustic comes flowing out of the speakers and drags you into the performance. The dual acoustic guitars of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir perfectly framed within the soundstage.

Next on the playlist was something a bit different. Synthesiser poppy weirdness from the Yello album Toy. The track Cold Flame featuring the vocal talents of Malia chugs along rather well with Malia doing her best Grace Jones! Synth bleeps ooze effortlessly from the speakers, all underpinned by a rock solid bass groove sent from outer space. Here all the instruments and vocals are just hanging free in the air as if the loudspeaker cabinets are totally invisible.

Finish options for these speakers are more varied than usual with Black, White, Walnut and a new ultra trendy Urban Grey to choose from. There is also a two tone approach to the styling to, with the front panel coming in either satin dark grey (for the Black and Walnut) or satin light grey (for White and Urban Grey). The gold coloured tweeters visible behind the UD Waveguide also add a level of visual charm that is rare at any price!

The Bronze 100s are easy to drive and do not seem to favour any particular genre of music over any other. At this price (did I mention that they sit around a mere £360 a pair) they are something of a bargain. A great all rounder with sonic charm and modern styling…a killer combination.

Demonstrations can be arranged in store and are thoroughly recommended.

Andy, Jon and Farid in the Cheltenham Store.

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep an eye on what’s happening in store

Monitor Audio can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 02, 2021

“X” MARKS THE SPOT - THE NEW REL T/X RANGE ARRIVE IN MANCHESTER

July 02, 2021/ Manchester

REL Acoustics have just released the new range of the brilliant award-winning T series, the T/x, and we proudly have them on display here at Audio T Manchester. We just wanted to see how they stack up against our other subs in the shop… Bah doom tish’… I’ll get my coat…

So the honest truth is we haven’t really put the new Serie T/x through their paces. Since welcoming you lovely lot back in store we’ve had a busy old time at the shop and not really had an afternoon to work our way through this terrific little trio of subs.

Luckily you for you, Aga and the lads at our illustrious Portsmouth Store have had a sit down with the range and put together a cracking review of the new T/x range. Check it out here.

Chromey floats between the space of two subs. Bass heaven.

Meanwhile, we can show you some beautifully detailed pictures and quickly discuss some design changes to the new range as well as answer some of the questions our customers often ask us about the LFE and High Level connections as both are used on the Serie T.

Why the RCA low level connection?

Well, this simple tried-and-true method connects using a low level signal and is used on the vast majority of more modestly configured systems. It takes a very small signal from the .1/LFE subwoofer output on the rear of your receiver and outputs, typically, a theatre-centric signal to your new subwoofer.

In other words the .1 (point one) is the subsonic thunderous bass you get when a tank rolls by Saving Private Ryan or a F16 does a fly over in Top Gun.

It uses the ubiquitous RCA cable and plugs in similar to how tuners or CD players have done so for decades. It’s easy and works fine for relatively short runs of, say, 25’ or so. So why would anyone use anything else? Quality of sound and quietness, or the ability to keep the signal robust and the noise down to a minimum are the reasons to move up from this basic standard.

Why would I use the high level connection?

This connection method has been used by REL Acoustics for over thirty years and offers several performance benefits. Many of the most experienced listeners strongly prefer the performance gains available from this type of design.

I always thought High Level was about music and LFE for movies?

This is true when music is the preferred art form you’re taking in. BUT and it’s a big but, when movies are being played, the High Level does this wonderful trick of improving every single sound in the movie, not just the special effects but the music and the dialog, creating a richer and more full theatre experience .

So movies need both High Level and .1/LFE?

Ideally yes. You see, all the sounds we hear in films, even including the fictitious altered reality of movies taking place in the future, are more than often things that we naturally hear in the everyday real world. To recreate the real-life listening experience of these full-range sounds, you require a full-range system that isn’t restricted by the frequency response of your speakers. With this in mind, you will always benefit from a high quality subwoofer that extends your systems frequency response. Having both connections means that the High Level input will perform a kind of sonic restoration of movie soundtracks, enhancing all the rich, dynamic sounds. You will find that voices sound more natural and don’t suffer from that bright hard shallowness that makes many movies difficult to get through. Music scores convey the full emotion of the moment. The bottom line is that spatial qualities are conveyed by a full range sound, and hearing this full range properly rendered in movies makes them so much more enjoyable – just like watching a film at the cinema (remember those?).

Hopefully that answers some questions you may have had about the way both these connections work? If not, feel free to contact us for more information.

Now let’s take a look at the range -

REL T/9x

The largest of the three new subwoofers -

Rel T/7x

The middle sibling in the trio -

Rel T/5x

The baby of the family -

As you can see REL have softened the design of the new T/x series, giving the subwoofers a beefier, shorter and squat look, which we feel really adds to the stealthier appearance. It’s really nice, you have to see them in the flesh to appreciate it.

The rounded corners perfectly follow the lines of Chromey’s dome.

The front grill follows the same sleek lines as you can see below. Very elegant.

And there you have it folks, a quick look at the brand new Serie T/x from REL Acoustics.

We now have these subwoofers on display and ready to demonstrate at our Manchester branch, so why not contact us and book an appointment today?

Thanks for reading.

Munir, Dave, James, Mike and Haden - Audio T Manchester

If you’ve enjoyed this, why not go ahead and read some more of our other blogs, and be sure to follow us on Facebook or Instagram to keep an eye on what’s happening in store.

REL can be found at the following Audio-T stores

July 01, 2021

RECORD STORE DAY BACK WITH A BANG!

July 01, 2021/ Swansea

RECORD STORE DAY DROP 1 - 2021 was back with a bang once again! Restrictions meant that it was not going to be the usual open house affair with a system playing away, thankfully that did not deter the crowds and RSD was a cracker!

As with previous Record Store Days, the excitement really starts to ramp up in the days leading up to RSD when stock starts to arrive in stores, and it’s no different at Derricks Music. Photos of the limited edition releases start to appear on their social media, our posters advertising our fabulous free prize draw to win a Rega Turntable start to plaster the walls. Customers calling in our store start asking what records I’m hoping to get and vice versa. Of course there is another Elvis on my list - Anyone who knows me could have guessed that one!

So….. as per usual, a few days before hand people start asking the question of what time the doors are opening and how long do we expect the queue to be. We had been hoping that the restrictions would have been slightly eased by the time of the first drop but there was no need to worry, as come the morning of RSD it was clear that the support was still there and as strong as ever.

The morning had arrived and I made my way down to Oxford Street (Swansea) to be greeted by the queue that was already halfway down the road at 8.30am (past Reeds Bakery if you know it) so we knew we were going to be in for a busy one once again. Doors were to opened at 9am and it was all systems go!

I have to say that I was a bit gutted that we couldn’t stop and chat as we always have done, but it was necessary to keep the flow of customers in and out of the shop to allow for proper social distancing. We had anticipated this might be the case, so instead of the old pen & paper method of entering our giveaway, we had managed to get a very quick QR code scan for entry into our competition which worked a treat. Definitely how we’ll be doing things in future.

As always, we had some of our Audio T Record Bags to give away at random, but how to decide who gets one? I hatched a cunning plan…. Being a huge Prince fan myself, I told the crew of Derricks Music (Christos, Sian and John) that the next person to ask for the Prince album would get one. Low and behold, a few minutes later the shout went up “WE HAVE A WINNER!”

Normal service resumed, with lots of people managing to get hold of what they had been patiently queuing for. Luckily the weather held up for the day!

We approached the end of the day and it came to the time for us to pick our prize winner at random. The name was chosen and I made the phone call… Straight to answerphone! This is in fairness the first time we haven’t gotten an answer straight away, but literally a couple of minutes later we had an ecstatic return call. It’s always such a pleasure to hear the surprise in the winners voice every time, let’s face it - it’s a brilliant prize to win!

As I’ve said; it was a shame that we were restricted as to what we could do on the day and were not able to spend time chatting all things music and Hi-Fi but it really didn’t dampen the day at all. It was great to see so many faces we know and meet lots of new friends. Once again we have to say a huge thanks to all at Derricks Music for having us along for the day and having such a blast. RSD drop 2 is just around the corner so no doubt we will be seeing lots of you again in store.

To find out more about Record Store Day 2021 click here.

Thanks for reading.

Nic, Chris and Ade - Audio T Swansea

Be sure to keep an eye on what’s happening in the Swansea store by following us on instagram and Facebook.

Here’s a couple of my own RSD purchases along with our very happy prize winner receiving their Rega Planar 1.

Record Store Day is official partners with Rega and Bowers & Wilkins. Both manufacturers can be found at the following Audio-T stores -

Audio T Blogs

First off, a little history lesson…

Bells and whistles

The business end…

Set-up and use

So what does it sound like?

Let’s sum things up…

McIntosh Power - Let’s take a look

AUTOFORMER™ TECHNOLOGY - DOES IT MAKE THE DIFFERENCE?

SONUS FABER CLARITY

Sound Quality

So, what causes record “wear”?

What are the solutions?

Conclusion

In a former life …

Time for the Teacher to become the Student…

Boys and their toys…

Beyond the gear…

How does it work?

The plan, the room and the set-up

REL Acoustics Tx Series Subwoofers

The hard work

Why is this important?

The reward - It’s movie time!

The conclusion

The Specification

But the big question is…

BluOS Controller App

In Conclusion

Placement

Listening

Features

Conclusion

Monitor Audio

Roksan

Blok

MONITOR AUDIO SILVER 7G

The technical nitty-gritty…

ROKSAN ATTESSA

The proof is in the listening…

Demonstration Songs

Stop 1: The infamous Audio Note “shop” where it all started…

Two streamers, two looks…

So which one sounds better?

Our closing thoughts…

The Comfort

The Build

The Sound

Listening

Hand Made

DYNAUDIO CONFIDENCE 20

THE PROOF IS IN THE LISTENING

CONCLUSION

THE SETUP

HOW DO THEY SOUND?

The Technical Stuff

Dynaudio Emit Drivers

How do they sound?

What do they work with?

In conclusion

Music Used

FEATURES

SO MUCH CHOICE - WHAT TO LISTEN TO?

SOUND QUALITY AND APP CONTROL - HOW GOOD IS IT ?

The Design…

The proof is in the listening…

Why the RCA low level connection?

Why would I use the high level connection?

I always thought High Level was about music and LFE for movies?

So movies need both High Level and .1/LFE?

Audio T

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